Such a fastening element is deduced from U.S. Pat. No. 2,861,276 published in 1958 in which a padding should be provided between a rear layer coming in contact with the skin and a further layer which bears the eyes. The layer should improve the comfort of wear of the fastening part. To produce such a fastening part, all the layers are placed upon one another, separated and then bound with an elastic plastic strap on three side edges. To produce a secure fastening, the plastic strap should be vulcanized and pressed under pressure onto the closure part. The padding is only fastened by the outer elastic plastic strap. It is to be feared that the step between the plastic strap and the outer layer will rest on the skin of the user and will press and rub unpleasantly.
Fastening elements are frequently sewn onto the ends of straps and generally formed as an eyelet or eye tape or a hook tape. These eye and hook tapes can be joined together and then jointly form a closure for a garment.
During the manufacture of the eye tapes, the eyes are frequently initially fastened in a known arrangement on an endless base tape by sewing-on. For this purpose a plurality of so-called fold tapes are sewn in a partially overlapping arrangement onto the base tape which is folded-in at both its longitudinal sides, the eyes being fastened on the base tape or the fold tapes during sewing of the fold tapes together with these by seams running substantially parallel to the longitudinal sides of the base tape. The base tape together with the fold tapes secured thereto is then divided into individual sections forming the eye tapes by cuts running transverse to its longitudinal direction.
In the known manufacturing method, the individual eye tapes are separated from the endless base tape by the thermal welding method, for example by an ultrasonic welding method, so that the cut edges of the base tape and the fold tapes are joined to one another at the same time. This type of cutting off of the eye tapes from the endless base tape or the likewise endless fold tapes is simple in terms of manufacturing technology and correspondingly inexpensive. However, since the base tape and the fold tapes are separated from one another by the cuts directed at right angles to their longitudinal sides, these connection edges form the longitudinal-side edges of the eye tapes.
In the case of underwear worn directly on the skin, e.g., in the case of brassieres whose straps lie on the skin with a certain force, there is therefore a risk that the connection edges of the eye tapes, which also lie on the skin, will cut into the skin. This results in an unpleasant feeling during wear, which may also lead to skin irritations.
The conditions are similar in the case of the hook tapes, for the manufacture of which a likewise endless base tape is used. This is first shaped into a kind of tube by folding in its two longitudinal sides, its folded-in areas slightly overlapping and having substantially the same width. The hooks to be arranged in the overlapping area are fastened to the base tape by means of a seam likewise extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal sides of the base tape, all layers of the base tape lying one on top of another being connected to one another simultaneously.
The base tape with the hooks fastened thereto is divided into individual sections forming the hook tapes by cuts extending at right angles to the longitudinal direction as well. Before the cutting off of the individual hook tapes, the base tape is folded essentially centrally around a folding edge extending substantial parallel to its longitudinal direction, and its area carrying the hooks lies on the area that is free from hooks.
If the separation of the individual hook tapes from the endless base tape is likewise carried out according to the thermal welding method, the cut edges of the areas of the base tape located one on top of another are connected to one another by the separation operation. Since the cut edges extend at right angles to the longitudinal sides of the base tape in this case as well, these connection edges also form the front-side edges of the hook tapes thus prepared. Thus, the connection edges of the hook tapes also cause an unpleasant feeling during wear, which may lead to skin irritations, in the case of underwear to be worn directly on the skin.
In order to provide better comfort of wear in connection with such fastening elements, it is proposed in EP 1 180 948 B1 that a base tape carrying a plurality of closure parts, namely hooks, should be folded parallel to the longitudinal profile of the base tape. By this means the closure parts arrive at the inner side of the folded base tape. Closure elements are then cut off from the base tape by separating weld seams running at right angles to the longitudinal profile of the base tape. By turning over the closure elements thus produced, the closure parts arrive at the outside on one hand and the sharp edges of the separating weld seams arrive at the inner side of the closure elements. The sharp edges thus cannot rest on the skin and cause irritation there.
In an alternative embodiment of EP 1 180 948, a cover tape is placed on an eye-carrying side of the base tape. Accordingly, fastening elements are also separated with separating weld seams here and at the same time, the two layers of each fastening element are joined together at three longitudinal edges. Here also, the sharp separating weld seams are brought to an inner side of the fastening element where they cause no irritation, by turning over. Despite the significantly improved comfort of wear, these fastening elements also cannot be completely satisfactory with regard to comfort of wear.